


tiny candy bars in my pockets

by AFireInTheAttic, driedflowers, lizzy_stardust_18



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, Getting Together, Halloween, Halloween Costumes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:03:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8422957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFireInTheAttic/pseuds/AFireInTheAttic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/driedflowers/pseuds/driedflowers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzy_stardust_18/pseuds/lizzy_stardust_18
Summary: Two times Clary and Maureen wore couples' costumes, and one time they didn't.





	1. We Go Together

**Author's Note:**

> This was a collaboration by some of the members of the tmifemslash net. The tmifemslash blog can be found [here](http://tmifemslash.tumblr.com).
> 
> The title is from Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by [gayclaryfray](http://gayclaryfray.tumblr.com) on tumblr // [gayclaryfray](http://archiveofourown.org/users/gayclaryfray) on ao3

Movie night is Grease, and then next week Grease 2, and Clary doesn’t complain. Olivia Newton John is kind of hot. And she might agree to watch anything Maureen wants. Case in point, they’re on for A Cabin in the Woods next week, and Clary’s terrified of horror movies. Anyway, Maureen’s Grease phase falls around Halloween, so Sandy is the natural choice to dress up as for Simon’s party.  

“Would you be my Danny?” Maureen says, jokingly, and it’s probably in deference to Clary’s recent penchant for leather jackets, but still. She deserves to let herself, for at least one second, imagine that it’s not. She waits a beat, maybe a beat longer than is natural, and imagines  _ really _ being Maureen’s Danny, holding her hand and taking cutesy photos where they’ll kiss just in time for the camera flash.

The moment is over, and Clary is back, live, with a close-female-friend smile! She laughs, mirroring Maureen’s attitude. “Of course,” she says, “anything for you.”

* * *

 

The three of them—Clary, Maureen, and Simon—are supposed to go costume shopping today, but Simon cancels last minute. Clary sometimes wonders if he’s trying to set them up (there was a winky face at the end of his cancellation text, very suspicious), but he’s probably not that perceptive. And she’s hopefully not that obvious.

Maureen shows up at her apartment at 3, all smiles and caffeinated energy. “Ready to go?” she says. Clary grabs her scarf, and they’re off.

It’s very pretentious that they have a favorite thrift shop, but they do. It’s a couple of blocks away from Clary’s apartment, and all of the salespeople know their names. Maureen suggested they go there to look for poodle skirts and leather jackets, and it’s a great idea. They each grab a handful of hangers and head for the dressing room.

It’s a blessing that there are two rooms—it’s proper girl etiquette to share if need be, and Clary’s not exactly in the mood for that. Ugh, these thoughts are.... She doesn’t need to be like this. This is a fun day with her best friend, not a pity party.

She puts on her leather jacket and a not-even-that-fake smile and steps out of the room. Maureen is waiting for her, in a black tank top and a pink poodle skirt, and Clary’s smile stops being fake at all. 

“You look so cute!” she says, at the same time as Maureen says, “I love it!”

They laugh, and hug, and bask in each other. There’s something magical about being a teenage girl. Something outside of all the shit men talk, outside of the stresses of high school and growing up. It’s in moments like these that life is truly lived. They sing the gibberish lines of “We Go Together” until they’re doubled over in giggles, and it’s perfect.

So of course she wants more, wants to  _ be with _ Maureen, but just being with her in teenage girl land is more than enough. Maybe she and Maureen should have agreed to be D&D wizards with Simon after all. They are magic.

“Are we good?” Maureen says, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. She’s talking about the costumes, probably, but Clary answers with something bigger in mind.

“We’re good.” 

And they are.


	2. As You Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by [royeauxhale](http://royeauxhale.tumblr.com) on tumblr // [afireintheattic](http://archiveofourown.org/users/afireintheattic) on ao3

It’s practically a tradition at this point, so Maureen isn’t surprised when Clary opens up google and searches “couples costumes” while the two of them are settled in at their usual table.

“It’s a little early, isn’t it?” She’s teasing, of course, because no, of course it’s not. It’s never too early to prep for halloween, as far as Clary is concerned. And Maureen gets it, for the most part - Clary likes to have time to create the perfect costumes. And the costume they wear _are_ always amazing. Clary’s artistic abilities extend beyond pen and paper and into fabric and more.

Clary doesn’t mention any of this, though. She just shoots a smile at Maureen and shakes her head. “It’s _September_.”

“Don’t tell my mom,” Maureen says. “You know how she is about mentioning the H word before Felt Hat Day.”

“And you know how weird it is that she even cares about Felt Hat Day,” Clary responds, and clicks on the image tab. “So what are you feeling this year? Personally I’m leaning toward classic cinema.”

“Do you mean that in a weird, Simon-y way?” she wonders.

“I guess? Simon’s taste in movies can be questionable, but he also likes _great_ movies. Like this one.” She taps her screen gently, her nails clicking softly. She’s the only person Maureen knows who taps her laptop screen regularly. Everyone else she’s seen does it always freaks out and apologizes to their screens, like that might keep it from being damaged. Clary does it on purpose.

Maureen leans forward. She takes some pleasure in the way her arm brushes up against Clary’s, but tries not to make a big deal of it. “Would you be wearing a mustache in this scenario?” she asks.

Clary hums thoughtfully. “I hadn’t decided.”

“I think it would be funny.”

The redhead turns to look at her, eyes dancing with a little laughter and a lot of warmth. “As you wish.”

And Maureen lets herself hope, just a little.

* * *

 

Izzy and Alec are, as always, an amazing team. The parties they throw every year seem to get bigger and more exciting every time, with more dazzling food and eye catching decorations than Maureen could have previously imagined.

Tonight is no different. The air itself almost seems like it’s glittering, with draped fabrics hanging from the walls and ceilings, glowing candles that put a strange ambience around the room, and - a bubble machine?

“Jace’s idea,” Izzy says, appearing next to Maureen suddenly. She curls an arm around her shoulders. “He doesn’t really get aesthetics? But bubble machines are always fun, so it’s cool.” She kisses Maureen on the cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks,” Maureen says. She loves Izzy, even if it is a little hard to keep up with her. It seems like she’s a mind reader, sometimes, drawing connections from thoughts Maureen hasn’t even realized yet. “Where is Jace?”

“Off dazzling people with his gun show, probably.” Izzy winks. She’s dressed like Morticia Addams, and Maureen isn’t sure if she’s more curious about how the deep vee in her dress is staying in place or how she managed to so perfectly replicate the makeup. “I tried to convince Meliorn to dress up as Jace this year. I thought it would be funny. But apparently he’s always wanted to go as Gomez, so.” She shrugs and gestures at her outfit dramatically.

“Well, it looks great,” Maureen says. She’s not sure Izzy really needs the reassurance, but she’s happy to give it. She’s a little uncertain about her own costume. The dress is a near perfect replica of Buttercup’s - thank you, Dot - but she had refused to bleach her hair or wear a wig. So she’s not sure how much like the Princess Bride she actually looks. All she did was try to style it somewhat like the movie.

Izzy smiles, dazzling as ever. “Thank you. You look wonderful, too.” She looks around curiously. “Where’s your other half?”

“Ha,” she says, feeling vaguely awkward. Izzy has been calling Clary her other half for the past couple months, and she’s not sure what to make of it. She figures it might be a joke about how when they first met, Maureen, shy and feeling out of place, had stuck to Clary’s side without exception. “She’s around here somewhere.”

She doesn’t seem to notice her discomfort - or if she does, she’s ignoring it out of politeness. “Well that’s…inconceivable.” She winks, takes Maureen’s hand, and says, “Let’s see if we can find her.”

* * *

 

Clary was wearing a mustache. In fact, the only difference between herself and the Dread Pirate Roberts, was the long red hair that fell straight down her back, from under the mask. Well, that and the perfect pair of breasts. Maureen had a feeling Westley would appreciate that, though, given the shortage of them.

She was laughing at something Jace was saying. It was easy to see how her eyes were bright even through the mask.

Maureen felt a little light-headed, seeing her like this. She felt herself smiling.

Clary saw the approaching, and somehow her eyes lit up even more than before. “Highness,” she says. “I promised I would always come for you, but here you are, having come for me.”

Maureen ducks her head. “This is twu wuv, after all.”

She wishes.

Clary reaches out and takes her hand - and for a moment, Maureen thinks this is all she needs.


	3. Fairytales Can Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by [rose-hold](http://rose-hold.tumblr.com) on tumblr // [dracosphere](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dracosphere) on ao3

The numbers begin to swim on the page as Maureen throws her pencil down exasperatedly. Ugh, who is she kidding? She doesn’t need calculus to get into the music program at NYU. However, she does need it to get her mom off of her back. She shudders to think of what Mrs. Brown would do if Maureen failed calculus after maintaining a 4.0 for her entire high school career. With a sigh, she rubs her face and calls up Clary. She smiles as her friend’s contact picture, a silly selfie they’d taken together on the beach, comes up on her screen.

“Hey, Mo, what’s up?” comes the cheery voice from the other end. How is Clary so awake? She must have had 8 cups of coffee that day. Clary was such an odd contradiction sometimes. On the one hand, she was one of those girls who always had fruity water and scented hand sanitizer and who complimented people on their hair and whose smile was enchanting. She was brilliant and got good grades, and could paint incredible works that wowed Maureen and everyone around her.

On the other hand, however, she was easily frustrated and her temper was something to be reckoned with. She was too quick to fight with others, and she went too easily into situations that could be dangerous. She was also stressed 24/7. Many nights she would stay up all night, and either Maureen or Simon would text her through the breakdown that occurred afterward. Maureen hopes she isn’t staying up tonight, even though Maureen herself is well on the way to doing that herself because of her damn calculus homework.

“Do you know how to do the calculus homework?” Maureen asks, rubbing her temples. She hears a shuffling of papers on the other end.

“Riemann sums? Aren’t there like, several different ways to solve those?” Clary says, clearly rifling through her notes. “So you could just like, pick the easiest one and draw your rectangles closest to the curve as possible. Unless he asks for a specific method.”

Maureen looks down at her paper and tries to draw several rectangles. Now it doesn’t seem like such a Sisyphean task. “Eureka!” she yells into the phone. “Okay Clary, I have so got this, I am like the Princess of Got This, I am doing this! I’m finding area and no one can stop me! Fool me once, Mr. Reinhardt!” Clary laughs musically over the phone.

“Oh my god, Mr. Reinhardt was such a dick that one time! But he’s no match for the Princess of Got This!” Maureen can hear Clary making finger guns over the phone, because even though Maureen idealizes her and is a little in love with her, Clary is a lame-ass nerd. “Speaking of princess, I have an idea for the Halloween party!” Clary’s voice is sing-song, like it usually is when she gets excited. Maureen feels her stomach twist. If it was another couple costume, she wouldn’t be able to take it. Getting looks from people is bad enough, but oh god, what if someone found out about Maureen’s feelings? What if Clary found out? The thought makes Maureen panic a little but at the same time, the idea of being in a couple costume with Clary is the only time she could pretend she was with Clary in the real way.

“What’s your idea?” Maureen asks, trying not to let her voice waver.

“Okay, so I was thinking I could be Merida this year because, you know, curly red hair, and you could be whichever Disney princess you choose!” The idea makes Maureen’s heart sink more than she thought it might. So Clary doesn’t want to do a couple costume this time. Maybe she’d found someone. Maureen curses herself for wanting to be with Clary. She responds to her anyway.

“I like the idea. I’ll be Tiana,” she says.

“Great! Oh my gosh, you’ll look so pretty in her outfit, especially if you do the sparkly blue dress! But wear anything, you’ll look great!” Clary gushes. Maureen’s face heats up.

“Thank you, I bet you’ll look great as well.” Maureen grins. She thinks of Clary in Merida’s gear and thought how well it would suit her to be a warrior princess. She feels a little ache in her chest.

“Thank you dear! Also, I kind of BS-ed my explanation of the calc answers so, um, can you help me with the answers?” Clary trails off a little, embarrassed.

Maureen laughs, eager to get her thoughts off of the costumes and how they would _not_ be in a couple costume and whether or not that was a good thing. She guides Clary through the answers and stays on the phone with her for a while before going to sleep.

* * *

 

Maureen adjusts her crown. Even if she doesn’t feel like a princess, she certainly looks like one. “The boys will certainly be hopping all over you,” her uncle had remarked, chuckling and clapping her on the shoulder. She didn’t have the heart to tell him she doesn’t want that, she only wants Clary. She takes a look in the mirror. She feels awkward and too hot in the princess outfit, but she looks incredible, and she wants to own it. She stands up and lifted her chin. She twirls a little and smiles. There she is. There is the princess she wants to be. She might not be swept off her feet by the girl of her dreams tonight, but that is okay.

She hears the doorbell ring downstairs, and she runs down to meet Clary, holding up her dress as she goes. Clary is in full Merida gear, holding a bow and arrow. Her hair is curled, and she looks fierce as ever. “Hey Mo,” she says in a Scottish accent, “how you doing?” Maureen feels her insides flop. She grins at her friend and curtsies.

“Milady,” she says and they burst into a giggly fit. Maureen holds out her arm for Clary to take and she calls out to her mom that they are leaving. She feels the presence of Clary next to her and can smell her perfume, which is intoxicating. Her skin is warm and she is so close, Maureen is so nervous, even though she and Clary have been friends for years. 

They plod up the steps to the party, where loud music is blaring from the speakers and Maureen can see a large number of bodies writhing together through the windows. She feels sick to her stomach at the thought of going in there with all those people and getting lost in that crowd. She wants to go home. She doesn’t want to be there. This had been Clary’s idea. She can’t breathe. She...Maureen puts a hand on her chest to keep the tightness at bay and gasps a little. Clary turns to her.

“What’s wrong?” Clary asks, her eyes wide with concern.

“I...” Maureen can’t speak, she is so panicked. “I can’t go in. I can’t breathe.” She feels Clary’s hand, which is pleasantly cool now, take her arm gently and guide her to sit on the steps.

“Hey, breathe, deep breath Mo, count to five,” Clary says, her voice soothing. Maureen nods, tears gathering in her eyes and counting to five, inhaling and then letting out a shuddering breath. Clary rubs her back and Maureen keeps counting to five until she regains her breath, at which point Clary hugs her close. “Are you okay?” Clary asks, cupping Maureen’s face and wiping away her tears. Maureen nods, taking Clary’s hand and squeezing it.

“Can I ask you something, Clary?” Maureen asks. Clary nods. “Why didn’t we go as a couple this time?”

Clary chews her lip. “I um...I didn’t think you’d want to.” When she sees Maureen’s expression, she tries to recover by saying, “but on the off chance you did want to, I wanted to ask you if um, you want to uh, be for real, instead of a costume?” Clary’s voice goes up, and she drops her gaze. Maureen realizes what she means and lifts Clary’s chin. Their eyes meet for a moment before Maureen leans in to meet Clary’s lips and they kiss on the steps, Maureen running her hands through Clary’s sweet smelling hair. They break apart for a second before going back in, kissing again with smiles on their faces.

“I love you so much Maureen,” Clary says breathlessly, “you’re so gorgeous and funny and brave and there’s just this determination to you that no one else has, god I just admire you so much, you’re so incredible.” Clary rests her cheek against Maureen’s and she hugs her close. Maureen’s eyes fill with happy tears and she squeezes her.

“Hey Clary?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go be princesses together at home.”


End file.
